The Woodland Weekly

We hope your conferences with teachers provided good insight into how your child is performing both academically and socially so far this year. We really believe in creating a strong home/school partnership, so if you ever have questions about your child's performance, please reach out. As a team we can create the best version of your student possible.

We also want to thank the SRS National Honor Society students who helped provide childcare for conferences. We had tons of families take advantage of this and it was fun for all of us to see the kids in a different setting. Thanks, NHS!

Finally, many parents ask, "What can I do to help my child at home?" It's a great question, and aside from reading every day, one of the most important skills you can assist with at home is helping your child develop independence. When children learn to do things for themselves, it builds confidence, problem-solving skills, and a strong sense of responsibility. (And, of course, it gives them the ability to do things on their own here at school!)

Here are a few ways you can help at home:

• Offer simple choices (“Do you want the red cup or the blue one?”) to build decision-making skills. (Tip: do NOT do this in the morning with outfit choices if you have a picky dresser like Mrs. Rood had.)
• Encourage self-help tasks like dressing, packing a backpack, or pouring a drink. This will be especially helpful in winter when boots, snow pants, coats, and mittens come out!
• Create consistent routines so children know what to expect and can follow along independently. Visual/picture schedules of bedtime and morning routines are a great way to start.
• Use encouraging language such as “Try it first, then I can help if you need me.” You'd be surprised how much kids can do on their own...but it takes YOUR patience! 😆

Independence takes time and practice, but every little “I did it myself!” moment helps children grow into confident, capable learners. Together we will accomplish this!

Warmly,

Emma and Kayla

erood@stgrsd.org

kbrady@stgrsd.org

413-569-6598

https://www.stgrsd.org/community/calendars/s_t_g_r_s_d_calendar_of_events

October 20: School Committee Meeting

October 22: Unity Day! Wear ORANGE!

October 27-31: Spirit Week! See below!

October 31: 1/2 Day Staff Collab., 12:00 Dismissal, No PM Preschool

November 10 & 11: Veterans' Day, NO SCHOOL

November 12: Picture Retakes

Wear ORANGE!

The National Bullying Prevention Center encourages everyone to celebrate Unity Day by wearing orange on October 22 to "send a visible message of building commUNITY through kindness, acceptance, and inclusion to prevent bullying." Woodland would love to show our commitment to promoting these values and stamping out bullying, so join us by wearing your proudest orange on Wednesday!

Hello families and happy fall! It's my favorite season, not only because of the smells and the colors of nature, but also because it inspires some beautiful artwork from your kiddos!

Preschool students have created their own green monsters and added leaves to fall trees. Kindergarten is finally ready to dive into the good stuff now that we've learned about the basic and most important tools and skills in the art room! First grade students have been working on their adorable scarecrows, while second grade is wrapping up a beautiful 3-D pumpkin project! I cannot wait for you to see what they've been working on, their creativity is truly inspiring!

Ms. Stacey Beebe

During the month of October, Pre-K-2nd grade students have been learning about soccer skills. They have been working on the skills of dribbling and passing and also playing different games like flip the hoop and soccer bowling.

Students in K-2 also participated in a frisbee unit and played different games to work on their backhand throws. Some of the games they learned were Disc Golf, Can Jam, Frisbee Bowling and Flip the Hoop.

All students at Woodland will participate in a bowling unit starting next week!

If you have any questions, please contact me at marchambeault@stgrsd.org

Stay Active!

Mr. A.

Hello again Woodland families!

For the last few weeks, students in K-2nd have been learning all about different parts of the solar system. Kindergarten learned all about the International Space Station (including how astronauts do a lot of the same things we do but without gravity), 1st grade learned about Earth’s moon and other moons in the solar system, and 2nd grade learned all about our neighbor Mars. We are now shifting our focus back to Earth and starting to talk about fall! We will be learning about a lot of the changes that happen during fall, with each grade focusing on different topics, including fall leaves, colder weather, and how animals prepare for winter.

Preschool has been doing a wonderful job in STEM so far this year too! Most recently we made coffee filter flowers using our “pipette” science tool, as well as exploring with magnifying glasses. I hope they’re having as much fun as I am! I look forward to doing many more fun and exciting things with them this year.

--Mrs. Brown

This year has been so much fun it's best described in pictures! Students in preschool have been learning about robots and even bowling with a rolling robot called Sphero! Students in kindergarten have been learning mouse handling skills, internet safety, and are starting a new typing program that they are having a lot of fun with! Students in first and second grade are learning about parts of a computer, continuing their common sense digital literacy courses, and preparing to start center rotation and using robots! We are having a great year and working hard!

Hello families!

We are having so much fun in the music room!

Pre-K students are exploring how to use their voices through stories and chants. We really enjoy using finger puppets to sing "Two Little Blackbirds" and explore opposites.

In Kindergarten, we are learning how to find the steady heartbeat in music. Students are taking turns leading the game "Clap Your Hands" and we love playing "Bee Bee Bumblebee" and "Black Snake".

First grade students learned about 2 new music notes - ta and ti-ti. We are reading and writing musical patterns and playing a fun matching game called "Silly Words".

Second graders learned 2 notes from the musical scale - sol and mi. We've explored how to sing and write these patterns on the staff and we're very excited to play some classroom instruments.

October's Musician of the Month is a big hit, but if you want to continue listening to Ranky Tanky, check out the link below.

Enjoy the beautiful fall weather and making music together!

Mrs. Peirce

Join us in showing some school spirit this week. Participate in all or some, just plan on having fun!

As the fall weather is upon us -- we know the holidays will be here before we know it! For many years, our community has come together to support families in need during this time.

If your family is experiencing some hardships right now, our Holiday Giving Tree community is here for you.

Here's how the Giving Tree works:

• Families in need, please reach out to Maryanne Margiotta at mmargiotta@stgrsd.org.

• Create a wish list for each child (infant to age 18), providing:

  1. Gender and age of child or children

  2. Sizes for clothing items, shoes, and boots. Clothing items to consider are coats, snow pants, hats and gloves, shirts, pants, pajamas, socks and underwear.

  3. Specific toys, games, and arts and crafts selections. What does your child really want? Please do not ask for computer electronics, phones, video games, gaming systems, or gift cards, as we will be unable to honor your request.

If you are interested in helping others in our community, we can greatly use your help! If you would like to help us fulfill our wish list requests, please email me at mmargiotta@stgrsd.org and I will be sure to send you a link to the online Sign Up Genius we will be creating, where you can sign up for any items you'd like to donate. We greatly appreciate any help at all you are able to give us!

Many of our generous supporters will be ordering online and like to take advantage of sales, particularly around Thanksgiving. Coordinating this support takes time and a lot of communication, so we ask you to please respond promptly if you need some help this holiday season.

***If your family needs our support, we are glad to assist -- but we will need time to fulfill your request. For this reason, the deadline to submit your wish list to us is no later than WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12***

Please know that family information is kept confidential and that there is no judgment in asking for help. We all struggle from time to time and have to overcome many challenges. Leaning on each other helps to get through those tough times. We are a strong community -- and we are here for you! Best of wishes to you and your family!

We are so excited to have a therapy dog again this year! June Leduc, aunt to one of our first graders, will be bringing in her therapy dog, an adorable mini-Australian shepherd named Aubrey! Aubrey loves having kids read to her as well as sharing stories about her own adventures as a therapy dog. Visits will begin on Monday, October 27 and will happen every other week. Teachers have already begun signing up for their 20 minute visits, so if this is something in which you DO NOT want your child to participate, please reach out to the classroom teacher.

The Pathways Program at SRS is doing a community service project working with the Community Food Pantry in Southwick. They will be collecting specific items each month according to the pantry's needs. This month they are looking for all kinds of canned soups and hygiene products but will gladly accept any donations you provide. The donation bin will be located in the lobby of the main office. Thank you!